Derek Lam

"Thoughtful, quiet, a little more sober," is how Derek Lam described his new
collection. On each seat, his PR team placed a paper bookmark that read "The Library," and the opening series of Persian floral prints was influenced by the frontispiece of an old book he came across. But you'd hardly call his Fall girl bookish, not with her paisley brocade bodysuit, leather pencil skirt, and gold-dipped oxfords.

Lam's show had a sixties vibe that went beyond the bouffant hairdos and smoky
cat eyes. Ruby Aldridge's white peacoat, poplin shirt, V-neck, and full
black skirt conjured visions of some quirky coed, only in real life her
jacket probably wasn't shearling, the sweater wouldn't have been cashmere,
and the skirt most definitely wasn't black patent. As always, there was
great outerwear here, but Lam de-emphasized fur in favor of down, cutting a
jacket and vest in neat, trim shapes.

When it came time for the final passage of eveningwear, we were firmly in
the present. Only a high-tech mill could pull off those Aran sweaters made
from twisted nylon tulle, and only a modern-thinking designer would pair
them with long chiffon skirts trailing trains.